The Clock Tower Guild: Reunited
by Sage of Eyes
Summary: Walking up alone and with no memory isn't all that funny if it happens to you, especially when you don't recognize where you are (though that's a given with the lack of memories really). Zeltrech apparently didn't get the memo though. Shirou is thrown for one wild ride, grappling with odd reflexes and the odd sword appearing out of nowhere along with his lack of memories.
1. Chapter 1

The Clock Tower Guild: Reunited.

…

Disclaimer: I do not gain currency from this endeavor.

…

My head was throbbing painfully, and I was sure that wasn't supposed to be happening. Looking around didn't alleviate the problem, though I most assuredly didn't know where the hell I was…

Come to think of it, I didn't know _anything _at the moment. Now, that I was quite sure was not a good thing. Granted, I could be somewhere I knew like the back of my hand, I wouldn't know any better because I didn't have any knowledge that pertained to my situation.

Still, I'm sure that there was a word for my status somewhere, and that there wasn't actually any reason to panic. Well… not panic too much anyways, maybe just enough panic to stoke the engine towards a certain direction. It would've been nice, though, if I knew a direction to go toward.

Anyways, I was in a forest and was covered in a large amount of needles and pines. I could only imagine that whatever happened left me unconscious, since that amount of foliage didn't just fall over night. Maybe a week or so would do the job… well now I was most defiantly panicking. A week unconscious? That was most certainly a bad sign.

What kind of person was I? If no one bothered to look for me in a week? That was just depressing to think about.

Not the best outlook I've ever had on a situation, but maybe there was something in my pockets that could tell me who I was? The pants I was wearing most certainly had things inside the pockets, I could feel them through the rough denim cloth. I found a wallet in my pocket and a few pieces of paper with numbers on them.

Finding ID though, made me far more relieved than the amount of money I seemed to have.

Shirou Emiya, with a bunch of un-intelligible numbers below it. I was sure that there was some sort of connection to myself and those numbers, but I just slotted it into things that I would figure out later. A picture accompanied it, and a quick check of my hair color did ascertain that I had one similar to the man in the picture.

London, England. The words made me grimace, and an odd feeling welled up in me. Despite the fact I knew it was a place and that was probably where I came from, I felt more than a small amount of loathing for it. I couldn't have been born there, that's for sure, but I probably lived there for reasons unknown.

Maybe I can find someone to point me toward London, England? Maybe there I would be able to find out who I was. I was unable to ward of the thought that I might have been quite the jerk or outcast, given the fact I was in the middle of a forest for an entire week, but any identity was better than none. I could always just act more nicely once I got back, not a very big deal.

Now which way to go… I studied my surroundings, and determined that the path with the least amount of foliage was the best to go. I was glad to find tracks, but even more so when I found myself able to determine that it was a large animal of sorts, and was headed towards a certain direction at fast speeds.

So I followed at a steady pace, such a large animal was probably spiked and would attack me one sight-.

A large group of men were haranguing a massive beast that was covered in fur and bound in muscle. It's arms easily made up most of its body mass, while it's legs were mere stumps connected to the beast's abdomen. It seemed intent on bypassing the men armed with little more than –halberds- and move towards the row of covered wagons they stood between.

"Stay your ground!" One of the men wore a copper pot upon his head, something that irked me for reason's unknown. "We must not let it get to the women and children!"

Suddenly, I wanted to help them quite badly. I didn't know why, but the mention of their plight just drove me to immediately aid them.

I couldn't though, I needed something that could work against the beast. The weapons the men used to stab at it didn't pierce its tough hide. The beast was slowly getting more and more angered in fact. I couldn't fight it without a-

Something embedded itself into my side, and I blinked as I took it in. A seven and a half feet in length, it was taller and larger than myself. Made by a blacksmith for a clan that sought to reunite a country, it clove through armor and beast, developing a liking to both. The man who wielded it with great skill and ferocity, was a giant that strode into battle with only the blade on his shoulder.

It was perfect for the job.

A cacophony of yells and my attention returned to the number of men that was sent flying from a swipe of the beasts massive arms. The men clutched at their arms, or chests and I knew they would not be able to get back up. The few men that managed to dodge were terrified, and the one who called out for fortitude was the only one not shaking.

Didn't have much time, I didn't know what the time was for, but I knew that I didn't have much. I had to go on instinct, and instinct told me I needed to climb the damn tree to my right and do it now.

I didn't expect it to be easy, but it was. My fingers dug into the wood with ease and I launched myself up with the blade in my right hand. The blade was heavy, but since I could carry it in one hand, I should've not been surprised that I was able to scale a pine tree with the other.

I can only wonder what the hell I did before I woke up a few minutes ago, but whatever crazed individual I had been most assuredly knew his way around a fight. My instincts told me everything I needed to know, and the best way to save lives.

I leapt from my perch on a branch, yelling for all I was worth to gain the creatures attention. If it took a few more steps toward the wagons, I would have been left open from my leap. The same would be the case if the creature took a step to either side.

I was utterly surprised when it immediately turned towards me and roared right back. I almost forgot to bring the blade down to cleave the beast in two because of my surprise.

How the hell did I know that beast would respond to my yell? What kind of idiot was I to yell at monsters so often that it was basically instinct? There was absolutely no way that what I did was considered normal in any respect. Maybe I wasn't looked for because I was some sort of arrogant jerk, but because I was crazed beyond all sense!

The groans of men brought me out of my extrapolations before my amnesia. Best take care of others before settling my own issues, I didn't even sprain my ankle from the thirty foot leap. I planted the sword in the ground, and left to help the wounded.

…

"Thank you kind sir." The leader of the group stated, tilting his stray hat as his wife attended to his sprained ankle. He may not have been overtly injured like many of the others, but in his dodge he had lost his ability to walk with ease. "I don't think me and my family can ever repay you, mage."

"Mage?" I inquired with a frown, crossing my arms over the coat I was wearing. I noted the fact my clothing was very different from the rest of the men and women that tended the convoy. All their clothing seemed to be of lesser quality, but far rougher and efficient. Women and men both sported brown trousers, white tunics and thick vests. Granted, I was sure the women all needed the vest given their common… buxomness.

"You can't be anything else boy!" The old man guffawed, slapping his thigh. The action proved detrimental as it caused his wife to drive his foot into the chassis he sat upon. "You must be one of them shy ones, eh? Just helping around, and wandering without a guild?"

"Guild?" I asked, I was familiar with the term that meant a group of people working together in an effort to create price control, but I was still curious about what it entailed. "What's that?"

The two caravan travelers looked at me owlishly, I had no idea what that was, as though I was some sort of oddity.

"Did you hit your head or something, lad?" The man questioned gruffly. "Or have you been living under a rock for the last couple of centuries?"

"I wouldn't actually know either way." I admitted wryly, getting confused looks from both of the apparent leaders of the small group. "I woke up around ten minutes ago."

"You have no clue where you are?" The blonde woman inquired with a frown. She patted the man's ankle and he groaned in pain as he lifted himself in a far more comfortable position.

"Nope." I supplied my answer, before figuring I might as well ask someone who knew where they were where I supposedly lived. "Do you guys happen to know the way to London, England?"

The couple suddenly froze and exchanged a look.

"Exactly like the stories." The husband stated with wide eyes.

"There are _two _of them?" The wife questioned, a small amount of what I identified as awe in her voice.

"She saved our entire village." The man gave a deft nod to his wife, and suddenly snapped the reins of the two horses that guided the carriages. There was obviously some sort of hidden man-to-wife conversation I wasn't picking up.

"We have a person back at our village that's been asking around for London, England as well." The woman explained as she gestured for me to follow her. We went past numerous wagons, until we were at the very end where there was no more than sacks of potatoes present. "She can't remember anything about herself too, appeared out of nowhere with no memories in the middle of the night. Had her for around a week until an attack by trolls like the one you killed , forced her to tear through 'em. She's been keeping the beasts away, but she's been getting antsy of late. Reckon she wants to find London, England rather than stay."

Someone like me? With no memories at all? I would have to be lying to say that I wasn't curios.

"So I'll be going with you then?" I surmised and the woman gave a deft nod.

"Least we can do after you saved our lives, I'll go grab your sword and we can be on our way." The woman turned around to search for my blade, and I was about to ask her to let me help when she froze stiff.

"It's gone." She said in amazement. "You didn't even call anything out about Re-quip."

"What's Re-quip?" I frowned at both the term that didn't jolt up any memories, as well as the lack of sword in my possession. No one could have stolen it without aid, but my subconscious told me to not worry about the massive blade in the slightest.

"She doesn't know the terms of magic as well!" The woman gushed, obviously happy for reasons unknown to myself. "Gods, I'm so glad we can finally repay her for everything she's done for us!"

Something in the back of my mind told me to just not talk any further, and that women were naturally like that.

…

If I had been convinced of the hospitality I had been offered, I thoroughly disbelieved in it now. The entire ride was ridiculously uncomfortable, the road traveled was bumpy beyond belief and the sacks of potatoes exacted vengeance upon me rather than the ones who drove the wagon. I was quite sure that there was plenty of space in the other wagons, but they insisted I stay in the one that only held bags of raw tubers. They might as well have been rocks in any case.

I wasn't all that grateful for the ride, since I was sporting a few bruises from the more tumultuous events of the journey. Fifty pound bags of potatoes were no joke in terms of their potential to harm someone in a moving vehicle. I wouldn't wish such a journey on anyone, too much continuous pain, suffering, and uncomfortable seating. I doubted I will ever have it in me to ever accept a ride from some strangers ever again.

In hindsight, that was probably a life lesson that I had previously forgotten.

I was thankful to whatever gods the woman praised when the caravan stopped and I dug myself out of the pile of sacks I had created refuge in. Though it was uncomfortable to lie underneath a mountain of burlap sacks filled with rock-hard tubers, it was an easier way to go about things rather than continuously getting a bag rammed into my face.

Outside of the insulation provided by a mountain of potatoes, I was able to hear where I actually was. The sounds of running water, yells of market stalls, and the giggles of children made me ascertain we were at whatever destination where the caravan headed. Or at least I hoped it was, I would gladly leave and make my own way in the world rather than stay in the caravan. The amount of interest I had in rediscovering my past didn't match up to the continuous frustration I was receiving at the hands of these travelers.

I doubted I was anyone of importance given the crazed mentality I must have had in order to have such reflexes in battle. There was no way I had a normal life that lacked any sort of monsters of beasts, and I was honestly very interested in some peace and quiet.

"Sir!" The same woman who led me to the hell I had been withstanding the last few hours suddenly came into my field of vision. I was sorely tempted to grasp the woman by her shoulders and throw her into the wagon as I made my dash for freedom. The look on her face, however, made me pause in my execution of vengeance. "A dark guild is attempting to kidnap your fellow! You must get to her aid as quickly as possible!"

I was already out of the wagon, when I realized that I didn't even think about what I was heading into. Did I never think things through? The hell, my body was going before I even though about anything! This was unfair!

Since my body was making a beeline for the sounds of concussive force, I began to wonder how the heck I would be able to fight something called a 'dark' guild. The name was oddly threatening, despite there being no difference other than an insinuation that it was evil. Maybe mages who promoted higher prices for their services than the common guild acceptance? They'd be ostracized like workers that weren't in a union.

Augh, such a terrible world we live in.

Maybe I can reason with them? I didn't like the idea of making someone conform with the larger branches of society, something told me that wasn't good per say. There was probably some sort of taboo about making someone conform to society's strict standards and averages, and the 'dark' guild were just misunderstood and wanted to change all of it.

I reached the area of the city that was fairly destroyed, and a woman wearing a hooded cloak like myself was exchanging fire with four other mages. Though I was sure that exchanging fire meant some sort of fighting term that I did not readily recognize, it didn't actually pertain to the situation. The groups were _literally _exchanging fire, from their hands, towards the opposing group.

In all honesty, it didn't really seem like the person dressed somewhat like myself actually needed any help whatsoever.

Something latched onto my foot.

"Please man." The man was badly signed, and seemed to be lacking in clothing. He didn't seem badly hurt, but I'm sure his modesty would be in jeopardy if he got up. Quite the effective way of handling an enemy if I had to admit to myself. "We gave up thirty minutes ago, stop your guild mate already…"

I blinked at that sudden proclamation. Guild mate? Was there some sort of uniform towards guilds. The large number of unconscious and crawling men did sport somewhat similar clothing, though the ones still fighting sported far different attire. They must be the leaders, since leaders had to dress differently to differentiate themselves from the common rabble.

Well, the fastest way to go about things would be to knock the last opponents out. I knew it wasn't wise to interrupt combat, since it would lead to something along the lines of grave injuries, so talking with my apparent colleague would have to wait until after the fight.

I needed something that could easily knock out an enemy-

The man grasping my leg shrieked as a blade fell from nowhere and landed between his face and my ankle. It was a reversed edge nodachi that was nearly as lengthy as I was tall. Still, I needed to make sure my isnticts told me wasn't a lie as I picked it up.

"Hey, man." The man stammered as I brought the blade up. "I swear I'll go to another guild, please don't-."

The 'thunk' as it fell on his head was immensely satisfying, and his eyes rolled up the back of his head. The story I heard in my head, about the weapon being crafted for some sort of state official that detested bloodshed and the coming of new weapons from the west seemed to be true. The weapon was made to wear down a target, and it's legend knocked a target out with the finishing blow, even if the fatal side was used.

I had a feeling that I didn't use the weapon as often as I'd liked. I also surmised that weapons popping up to suit whatever situation at hand was also not a regular occurrence. Mind you, I say that while four ostentatiously dressed people exchanged fire with a person who may or may not know who the heck I am.

For some odd reason, I was more panicked at the realization that I wasn't panicked than everything else.

The one shouting orders to the other three suddenly pulled out a key of sorts, and a massive cow wielding an axe appeared out of nowhere. A quick exchange of words ensued, as the other three defended the two. The man-cow thing didn't exactly looked pleased, but he began to barrel towards the person wearing a coat just like myself. The woman raised her hand and launched a massive wall of flame that emanated heat all the way to where I watched from the ruins of home.

The large, spotted beast cut through the wall with a massive swing of its axe, and i knew I had to move.

Once again, I found myself already moving before I finished that thought. Seems like when it came to saving lives, my body acted before I could keep it in control.

Still that axe was massive, and the way I was going would lead me getting chopped in half. The nodachi wasn't exactly the best weapon to block an axe of that size and weight-.

A short sword suddenly appeared from nowhere, falling right in front of me, I grasped it in one hand and knew that it would hold. The epicenter of its capability law around the fact the man who wielded it held off an entire army singlehandedly. The only thing that would matter is if _I _could hold my body to block the axe the beast was carrying around.

The very literal axe was just about to cleave my source of information in two, when I suddenly felt as though my body was weightless. One second I was ten paces away, the next the axe was coming down on me after I pushed the woman away. I couldn't aptly describe the feeling, only that it was as though every movement I did was effortless, and I was accessing some sort of energy and feeding it to my body.

I didn't just block the blade. The skill of the legionnaire that used it, along with my newfound strength allowed me to _parry _the attack. I batted it away and left my opponent stumbling. The reversed edge in my right hand, demanded that I use both my hands in my next attack, so I dropped the blade and allowed its history to show me what I needed to do.

It was made differently, the weapon twice as heavy as the regular blades. It made it difficult to parry, and allowed its user to live out his full life. At the edge of that life, all his skill and strength allowed him to utilize the blade in a way that made him unbeatable.

The beast was obviously skilled in fighting, and gathered its wits within that second I verified what needed to be done. The massive cow-man swung his blade from the right, and I reciprocated. The blade would easily snap any other blade used against it, but an axe was much stronger than a sword. It was a good thing the technique didn't rely on the opponent wielding a sword.

The middle of my blade hit where metal and wood met, and the point of impact shattered. The head of the axe barely missed me as the it had yet to pass the point where it would hit me once it reached the apex of its swing… I didn't even question how I knew that…

That left the rest of my blade to catch the cow-man on his right abdominal side. The technique of the old swordsman running through my brain, I turned around and changed the direction dull blade upwards and swung. The dull blade met resistance where the cow-mans' arm met his torso, the weight of it far greater than what the technique was supposed to be for but that didn't deter me. I was far stronger than the man who wielded it in his prime anyway.

The blade sent the cow flying up, and when there was no longer any weight on the blade the blade shouted at me to leap and strike at the sky. I did, and the dull edge met the cow-man's frame again. A normal blade would've killed if the technique was utilized, but that wasn't the point. The original user wanted to show his comrades, that blades were still superior to any other weapon, even when they were forged in a way they could not kill.

Being in the air, I could strike at my opponent as much as I freely liked. The man named the succession of strikes, _Blooming Lotus,_ as his opponents received eight slashed that gauged their skin, arranged like the flower

I wasn't all too surprised to find the name apt, as each strike did leave a deep gauge behind without remorse or qualm. The eight strike turned the massive monster into a blinding flash of light.

"There's two of them!?" Was the first yell I detected as I landed upon the rubble covered ground. The group of men and women that had been attacking my source of information suddenly looked quite a bit more fearful.

The woman I saved got up, as I had pushed her down to make sure the axe didn't strike her. Our eyes met and her brow raised as she gestured at the axe head that was meter inches from where she had lain. I really should've paid more attention to the trajectory of that axe, I almost killed the person I set out to help.

The brown haired women tossed her pony tail over her shoulder, and pulled back the leather glove on her right hand. The tiny smirk that suddenly settled her face put my nerves on the edge.

"And here I thought that I would be friendly and fight you on your own terms." Her voice was deceptively sweet, a dull tone telling me of the frank indifference of the four trembling magi opposite of us. I was surprised to find myself throwing my lot with her immediately, but something told me that my life was forfeit otherwise. I obviously knew who she was, and what she did before my sudden loss of memory. "But you bring out a beast to kill me, as I allowed your men to live. I believe that actions stipulates that the games end now."

A fierce gale suddenly picked up, and the look on my accomplice's face turned into something akin to a crazed grin. Far too many teeth were shown in that smile, to really be considered anything but utterly terrifying. The hand she had tightened the glove upon was suddenly surrounded by _visible _wind, a whirling vortex that made it hard to breath.

She cocked back her fist, and my body leapt behind a stone wall without my instruction. I was actually glad for my instincts for the first time, whatever crazed life I led at least amounted to some degree of protection now. I heard her yell out a shout, and suddenly everything seemed to be trembling and there was disjointed yells of fear from the four gathered mages. I realized a moment later, that those yells were _getting farther_.

I poked my head out of my makeshift cover, noting that both of the swords I'd used was nowhere in sight. I was actually sure that I was still holding the Lotus in my hand, but it was nowhere in sight. Probably had some sort of oddity about me that had swords drop out of the skies and help me, I couldn't expect them to stay after their impromptu entrances I guessed.

"You there." The lady pointed at me, and I feared for my life. The area where she punched was _gouged, _where there had been solid stone masonry for streets. I can only imagine that those poor mages were flying through the air at very high speeds. "You saved my life, and wear the same clothing as myself, have you come to return me from whence I came?"

"What." I stated flatly, my shock overriding my fear like a rabid cheetah on an antelope. Whatever those were, I was sure that it was appropriate for my line of thought. "I thought _you _ knew where _I _came from."

Judging from the sudden scowl on her face, she surmised the same hypothesis that I came to conclude.

"You don't remember anything as well do you?" She approached, and sat herself down on a rock in front of the wall I was peeking above. Her teeth were gritted and her brow furrowed, I could only imagine she was frustrated about the entire debacle as I was.

"Not a clue." I admitted from behind my superfluous safety. I knew that she could probably kill me with her pinky finger, I would need something absuredly strong to-

A sword imbedded itself into a stone next to the woman in question, and she gave me a glare.

"Control your magic." She growled, and smacked the blade. I blinked as she did so, and then the sword was nowhere in sight. The young woman seemed to share my expression and blinked owlishly along with myself. "Do you at the very least know who you are?"

"Shirou Emiya." I supplied happily, glad that I had knowledge of that at the very least. Maybe it would jog some of her memory and-

"Huh, it seems I do know you." She stated with interest, actually turning her head over her shoulder and giving me a glance. Maybe she knew who I was? Her next set of words dashed that hope quite nicely against a Sea cliff. "Somewhat like one of those words that just suddenly pop up, you knew?"

"Yes." I sighed, I knew what she was talking about, I'd been experiencing it even while I thought to myself.

"My name is Barthomeloi Lorelei." Lorelei supplied with a downward tip of chin. The words resonated along the lines of '_do not piss off'_ and _'don't look her in the eye'_. I didn't take much confidence in that. "From the look in your face, I'm pretty sure that I'm better off not knowing what stop your train of thought brought you."

"That would be for the best." I quickly agreed, attempting to school my features into something that wasn't as though I had stabbed in the gut. Still there was something I needed to address. "So do you feel like your former life was screwed up like me?"

The brown haired young woman blinked rapidly.

"You act before your body can realize." I nodded.

"You somehow know how to fight for no reason." I supplied and she nodded just as readily.

"You have no idea why some things set you off." I couldn't nod fast enough. The thought of people in peril seemed to trigger some sort of 'Save them' feature in my brain. I could only extrapolate on what her trigger was .

"And it seems like we've been both fucked over." We repeated in synch, and I felt an overwhelming sense of camaraderie with the woman

"Damn Zeltrech." She suddenly cursed and I blinked as that particular name resonated in my mind. The memories attributed to it suddenly came up and I shot up to my feet.

"DAMN YOU, ZELTRECH!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, and it felt _right_.

"Bastard." My companion agreed, and I knew we both had a long road ahead of us before we could find this man.

…

A/N: I know what you're all thinking. OMG WTF ANOTHER ONE!? Well I wanted to write Fairy Tail Nasuverse again, and have it with actual plot. Of course, if you haven't read the original, I'll say it has far too much crack to be considered for something serious.

I'll happily turn the original into a crackfest, but this one will be more in line with 'Prismatic Edge'. Which means comedy rather than crack, and actual Seriosu Bussinesu than the former. Maybe I'll update the original once in a while, but this one definitely has more of my attention.

Also, yes, Zeltrech is even more of a dick in the case that he actually went ahead and scattered up the Clock Tower everywhere as well as took away their memories. Why would he take away their memories? Because he's Zeltrech, easy answer young mantis. Now we have a Shirou who acts like Shirou without knowing why he's Shirou, it's like we have Archer and Shirou without the mess of Heaven's Feel! Or some weird yaio-incest things, I'm not discriminating, just not my cup of tea.

…


	2. Chapter 2

The Clock Tower Guild: Reunited

…

Disclaimer: I do not make any monetary gain from this.

…

_I was surrounded by miasma, dark and murky. By all rights it should have been liquid, but it clung to my ankles and wrapped around like a heavy gas. _

"_Turn around, Emiya."_

_Every nerve in my body told me to run, to not look back. Still I agreed with my foolish instincts this time and I did. The voice, deep and mellow, seemed to know me._

_A youth with red eyes and a cruel smile leered at me, his form covered in the black liquid-gas. Beside him was an older man, with red eyes and a wrinkled face, he was grinning as well. _

"_Find the others, boy." The old man had a smirk on his face. "My bets a bit too high for me to let this go to chance."_

…

My roommate opened the blinds with stunning finality, her auburn hair rolling in waves. By the smell and slight steam wafting from the bathroom, I knew that all the hot water was gone once more.

"I told you to wake me up." I groaned, and stood up from the two beds in the room. We'd been traveling since we met, searching for 'London'. A few odd jobs and we were guaranteed a stay within the taverns in the towns.

"I attempted." The towel fell and I averted my eyes immediately, only catching the tattoo on the small of her back that was mirrored on my shoulder. Something deep within me told me not to stare at her body and I agreed with it. I wished my roommate had the same decency, but she did as she wished. If said action got a reaction from me? All the better. "You were in deep sleep, have a nice dream?"

"You ask that after showing off what you did to that mountain beast?" I snorted, the memory of the lucid dream coming to the forefront of my mind. It came along with the sight of a giant one horned charging beast the size of a house being splattered against a mountain. Needless to say, the grimace that formed on my face from both answered her question.

My partner began to attend to her clothing, a simple blouse, maroon ribbon and a skirt. My mind always balked at the skirt part for some reason. She wore them for mobility and practicality, of course, but my mind didn't seem too take that statement as a decent excuse. It always calmed when I noted the boots that ran almost to her thigh, along with the heavy coat covered most of her features though. It was as though I was expecting her to wear loose pants or something, which was definitely nowhere to be seen given the outfits preferred in this continent.

I went to attend my own bodily functions within the small room. The amount of liquid everywhere told me that she actually used the tub instead of a shower like I asked. There would have been enough hot water if we both took a shower, but it seemed I wasn't about to get my way, as per usual.

The mirror caught my eye again and I couldn't help but grimace.

I wasn't bad looking, or overweight, like a few that I've regarded as such in the streets. What bothered me wasn't, in fact, anything to do with my body.

It was what was on it, though not the black circle with two hands pointing to midnight.

Scars, there were more of them than actual skin I was sure. Tiny, ragged cuts were all across the skin, I recognized them as claw marks and from different sets. I was more than a tad frightened that I both recognized them as claws, yet knew they came from hands likes my own. Lorelei always expressed a rage she couldn't quite explain the first time we bathed together in the many communal baths, that compounded with my own instincts to make it the last.

A large horizontal scar went across my abdomen, a line against forms of muscle. The first time I took note of it, a sword appeared from nowhere, and I knew exactly how I had been scarred. The weapon, be all rights, should've caused all my blood to eject from my body. I didn't know how I survived. Still at the very least that one seemed to be just like all the other scars, a tad paler strip of skin than the rest. That wasn't the case with the scar that bothered me the most.

An angry welt above my heart exited through the back, it didn't take a full set of memories to know that something terrible passed right through my heart. I questioned how I was alive sometimes, but more recently I questioned if I could _die._

I didn't want to test that particular fact out, but if I talked about the dream to Lorelei and what I thought we should do I hoped that I couldn't.

That thought in mind I went to take my cold shower.

…for reasons unknown to myself, I was depressed that I was taking it to get _clean._

...

There was rather painful bump on the back of my head, and my partner wasn't all that intent on speaking to me. Still the negotiations on finding others instead of looking for our home proved less terminal than I thought. Getting the silent treatment, and a large bruise in the back of my head proved was frankly pocket change compare to what I was prepared for.

The door to the train opened, and a winged, blue cat pocked his head into the room. My instincts told me that wasn't normal, but it also considered the numerous herd of animals not normal. I took my instincts word on friendly animals with a grain of salt, though it recommended that itself for recipes in cooking said animals most of the time.

"Aye." The cat pronounced, gaining a raised brown from myself and my companion. "My friend and I (Aye?) have tickets for here, aye."

"Help yourself." I found myself saying immediately, drawing an odd look from my companion. Apparently she wasn't even interested in me hearing her voice. I was more than used to her 'complete' behavior, than I wished to be. "Ah, may I have your name?"

"Happy." The blue cat began to fly, and then subsequently dragged a very sick person onto the booth, and proceeded to sit upon the unconscious man's stomach. "This is my friend, he is Natsu. He has motion sickness, aye."

"Ah good to know." I gave a nod to the blue, talking, flying cat and winced when another elbow dug into my sides. I glared at my colleague, who merely out-glared me into submission. Damn you instincts! I know you merely want me to stay alive, but bending over isn't going to help us in the long run! "E-er… so where did you come from?"

"An egg, aye!" Happy proclaimed happily and I blocked the incoming strike. Let her own actions keep her from the answers she sought! Irony smiles upon me this day! "Natsu raised me my entire life!"

"You don't know you parents?" I inquired thoughtfully, mussing about the plethora of topics that I can make small talk with whilst annoying my companion. The elbow strike was harsher this time, and I had to Reinforce my hand to catch it.

"Natsu's my dad, aye!" The cat creature proclaimed happily, producing a can filled with fish from the pack the pink haired man was carrying. Suddenly his ears drooped, and the attacks my partner was throwing began to slow. "Mom died a while ago though, a-aye."

I truly felt for the little creature, I really did. I didn't offer my sympathies merely because of the fact that the word 'Mom' didn't ring any bells. I was sure I must have had one, given the fact I was sure that was how humans worked, but nothing came up. Father elicited a great deal of fondness though, and I just accepted the fact that my father must have raised me alone.

"Do you two usually do that, aye?" The cat creature suddenly questioned, steadily munching through the fish in his can. "That doesn't seem to comfortable, aye."

I wondered at what he was addressing when I realized that Lorelei's strikes were coming rapidly, and I was using my left arm to block the perilous strikes. The angle of my arm made sure to deflect the force of her blows each time, even though I could have easily blocked it with the flat side. Another thing my body seemed to have ingrained, hand-to-hand combat it seemed to be this time.

Well that didn't seem to be the case on my partners side though, and it was suitably infuriating her. In hindsight though, having expertise in hand-to-hand combat should've been expected on my part. I did fight totally depending on having swords drop from the sky, I probably trained in unarmed to compensate if a sword never popped up.

I supposed she might as well train herself on me.

"We're just training." I offered to the cat, smiling a soft smile. I was used to giving them to children when I wanted to be alone, or didn't want them to annoy Lorelei. It was mostly used for the latter since I was actually quite good with children, in sharp contrast to my companion of course. "Ah, I forgot I didn't introduce myself."

"Cards never stack themselves up!" The cat creature shamelessly stated a quote that was somewhat relevant to what I just said. I took the statement as offered and introduced myself.

"I'm Shirou Emiya and this is Lorelei-."

"Emiya!" The cat happily pronounced my last name. "I know how married things go!"

The surprise at the statement made my defense fail. I was lucky to survive as my companion seemed too surprised to actually mold energy into her strike.

"We're not married." I held my broken nose, bringing out a handkerchief to stem the blood flow from my damaged feature. If my encounter with the troll a few weeks ago rang any truth, it would be done healing in moments. "Her last name is Barthomeloi."

"Fiancés, aye?" The cat questioned and an idle glance on my companion made me decide to save the cats life.

"Why don't you tell us about… Natsu here." I asked hoping against all hope that the rapidly angering features of my companion would clear up. She was getting redder with anger by the second! "And we're not promised to one another either."

"Lover-?"

"Your father, Happy!" I exclaimed. "I'd like to know about Natsu a bit, eh?"

"Aye." The cat agreed shortly and I knew that my ply worked. The strange being would live to see another day, thankfully.

…

Initially I had been quite underwhelmed with the society of the continent, but I learned shortly that the villages I traversed were lacking in the magic that was heaped throughout older settlements. Light posts, clean streets, impeccable houses without a hint of rot in the centuries old wood they were made out of. Of course my ability to discern the composition of most things were useful in that regard, so my companion naturally didn't care one bit.

As per usual we were milling about the tavern, questioning the many comers and goers about the goings on of the world. Truth be told 'we' was technically me since 'questioning' was in the same line as 'threaten with great bodily harm' for my companion. I was more than happy to keep people alive, and Lorelei relatively uncovered in blood.

"You might want to check with the Salamander that's come by." The grizzled merchant scratched his chin. "The guilds travel all around the place, so as I hear. He'll most certainly notice if people are clothed the same as you."

"Well that's our only lead." I thanked the man as I spoke to my still silent companion. She was really taking this the extreme… I didn't even get a word in response as she pointed at the massive crowd toting a banner with 'Salamander' scrawled messily upon it, and summarily walking towards it.

What did I ever do to earn such a companion?

"Oi, Laddie." The gruff man that owned the tavern put his massive hand on my shoulder. The man was a mountain, I stood at his chest in my height. The man was also three times thicker than I was, with a well-kept mustache and a shining bald head. "You're going to pay for everything your girlfriend ate aren't you?"

"My girlfriend?" I questioned and he jabbed a thumb behind his back. The digit was about the size of cucumber and it pointed right at the stack of plates where Lorelei had decided to sit. "Gods dammit… she didn't even-."

"Oh she did," A paper bag was thrust into my hands, and within it was a few cans of sardines of all things. She probably thought that she was getting a hand over me, but I was used to eating mediocre amounts with the diet she managed to keep up. "Time to pay up, laddie."

I handed him the amount he sought, it was equivalent to half a job and I didn't wish to part with it. Even my instincts agreed that money should be scavenged for all it was worth, and a nice healthy stack of cash would prove useful in emergencies. Still that conflicted with its absolute no-aggression belief when it came to my partner, and our combined efforts never amounted to anything.

The tavern man counted the money and crushed my hand in the handshake I accepted. I should've really thought better of it, since he could probably snap me in half without my magic. Then the man pulled me in and I stiffened, had Lorelei pissed him off? That was quite likely to happen.

"Don't worry about your girlie friend, boya." There was a large smile on his face, dazzilingly white as he whispered to me. "My wife ate me out of house and home, but she took me in hers." The man waggled his eye brows and released me with a non-to-gentle pat on the back.

It was a ridiculous notion that she was attracted to me! There was no way-.

My instincts were suspiciously quiet for some reason, and promptly left when I put any further thought in the matter. I had the feeling that my life was more ridiculous that I probably wanted it to be.

"Aye, Shirou!" A speeding cat impacted with the back of my head. "I managed to get Natsu off the moving train, aye!"

"Hello, Happy." I greeted the blue cat, allowing the furry creature to turn my head towards his father figure. "Same to you Natsu."

The young man had wide, curious eyes and defined features. Along with his pink hair it would have been difficult to confuse him with anyone else, though the large grin on his face made sure that was an impossibility rather than a challenge. The young man seemed to be on an active sugar-high that just emanated from him and towards others.

"Hey there!" The man seemed to cross the distance between the two of us in a heartbeat and began to summarily attempt to destroy my back with a rapid amount of swats of goodwill. This guy was strong! Ridiculously so even! The massive blow of the tavern attendant had nothing on him! "Thanks for watching Happy and letting me sleep, you're a good guy Shirou!"

"Yeah, well…" I started feeling embarrassed at the praise, my body responding to it by beginning to scratch the back of my head. "I didn't want to make it any harder by making the situation difficult."

"He's a great guy, aye!" Happy declared flying around my head in a small circle, I almost felt dizzy by the rapidity of the small creature in fact. Quite nimble, but what can one exactly expect form a flying cat? I was sure that I had no sort of experience in the matter whatsoever. "Humble, aye!"

There was a massive grumbling that suddenly frightened me enough to provoke a sudden sword summoning. My two compatriots, and many passerby took a few steps back.

"Ah, sorry." I apologized, it was so embarrassing for that to happen. Nothing is quite as embarrassing as summoning a blade when just surprised by the fact an ice cube was put down your shirt. My partner liked putting me in that situation, the number of times I've had to apologize for suddenly destroying a table was too high for me to be any happy about it. "I got surprised."

I searched for my bond with the blade, the same one that I read its history through with a single glance and how I knew where my blades always were. It was a simple matter of cutting that connection to the blade that makes it disappear.

Happy seemed to revel in the hundreds of miniscule fragments the sword disintegrated into, flying about them in wonderment. My companion, and the source of the massive growl whistled at the sigh.

"That's nice looking." The pink-haired boy commented. "Bit flashy for Re-Quip though, don't ya think?"

"It's not Re-Quip." I sighed as that version was stated, as far as I knew the swords that came to me didn't come from some pocket dimension. "Swords just… show up whenever I'm in a fight."

I waited for the apprehension, the raised brow, or the contempt at being thought a liar. That was usually the reaction of all the mages that inquired of my power, quickly followed by a subsequent trashing by Lorelei. I didn't really know what drove her to demand respect from anyone who crossed us, but her retribution was intense enough to not warrant investigation on my part.

"That's amazing!" The young man suddenly declared, making me blink owlishly and wince as he began to quiz me on my powers, before being shortly overcome with hunger pangs.

"How about we treat you to some lunch?" I questioned, taking the cans of sardines and handing to happy and gesturing to the tavern I just exited. "I was planning to get something to eat anyway."

The pink haired man sniffled suddenly, tears welling up in his eyes, making me take a step back. The sound was mirrored by the Happy, apple didn't fall far from the tree I supposed.

"You're such a nice person!" Natsu bawled catching me in a hug that threatened my spine. Happy didn't help matters by suddenly starting to know upon my hood. "Even though you look evil you really are nice!"

"Don't –urk- try me." I joked and thankfully the scarf-wearing boy decided he couldn't attempt to introduce my stomach to my spine and laugh at the same time.

"Hey so we're eating here right?" I blinked as I was catching my breath, Natsu was already halfway through the door. Happy decided to start eating his requisitioned cans of tuna atop my had.

"Yeah, go ahead." I waved him on. "I'll go in once I've caught my breath from all this excitement."

"Hah! I don't see a single white hair one you, you wuss!" The pink haired mage guffawed at my reasoning and I straightened up with a sigh. For some reason my instinct told me to buy Natsu as much food as he wanted, as though he was nice to me in a way in that odd sentence.

I supposed I might as well treat him to as much as he wanted, with that much strength he's unconsciously using, I can only imagine how much he need to be kept at top form.

"Hey where's your Lady friend, aye?" Happy questioned a tad muffled.

"Don't speak with your mouth full." I found myself admonishing the cats bad behavior, as I did when Lorelei spoke with her mouth occupied with food. I was glad I didn't receive a threatening glare in return this time, rather a simple 'Aye'. "Lorelei went to check on a person called Salamander that was in town." I pointed off in the distance, the congregation of peoples there. "They say he's in a guild and traveled around a lot so we hoped he might have found the rest of our guild."

"We're looking for the same guy too, aye!" The blue cat cheered tossing an empty tin to the sidewalk. I immediately picked it up, cursing my good naturalness as I did. It was as though I had no choice in the matter of choosing between right and wrong. "But is he really in a guild, aye?"

"Yeah." I clarified, inordinately happy to help the duo. From what I gathered most guilds acted to keep people safe, so the Salamander was in trouble at best or the trouble at worst. "The tavern keeper told me the guy's quite famous."

"Well that guys an imposter then, aye!" Happy happily announced. "Maybe Natsu will beat him up later!"

I blinked at that, taking the seat next to the one enjoying my hospitality at the moment.

"Wh-o –chomp- am –gulp- beating?" Natsu asked through the smorgasbord of items he had been.

Happy was probably about to explain when the door burst off its hinges, much to the weeping cry of the massive tavern owner. I didn't know which drew my attention more, the door or the cries of the heavy-set man-

"My dooooorrr! Why must this happen every month! It is like clockwork!" The large man wailed, vacating the room with tears in his eyes.

Yeah my attention was on that guy, much more interesting than a broken door.

What bothered me was Natsu didn't stop eating, as did happy at the sights. They acted as though they were perfectly used to such an environment. I could only hope that they weren't raised in it of course, but when they turned back to eating seconds after, I knew my answer to that question.

Diverting my eyes to the door, I was surprised to see the form of my partner hanging off the shoulder of a girl clad mainly blue in white. She seemed familiar, for some reason, until my eyes registered her… tracts of land, and decided she wasn't at all. A chill went up my spine when I noted that though, as though someone had walked on my grave.

Still I approached the newcomer, who was panting from carrying my partner and kicking open the door.

"What happened?" I demanded as the panting girl laid my partner onto a booth. I grabbed the water I had been served and handed it to the panting gril as she didn't speak for a moment. She was far more drained than I thought.

"Salamander –huff-." The blonde panted, nodding gratefully for the water she was give, "He was using –huff- illegal charm magic, I had to knock your friend out after she took it for me."

"…you probably didn't need to do that." I pulled out a vial of smelling salts and waved it about my partners nose. She stood ramrod straight, locked on to the blonde girl and was very ready to send said girl through the wall. "And we're not doing that either."

Need knock out.

The Lotus blade appeared, dropped onto my hand and I hit her neatly across the forehead, making the blonde shriek until she noticed no blood. The effects of the weapon not even harming my heavily empowered partner, but knocking her out all the same.

"Reversed-edge." I explained and drafted the salts underneath my partner's nose again. Once more she attacked, merely going for me this time. My technique known to her, she batted aside my blade.

Need a knoc-

Another Lotus blade fell out thin air, right onto my friend's head. The weight of the blade alone would've knocked a person out cold, combined with the effect it was rather effective. My monstrous partner went down for the count and I put away the smelling salts.

"Well that's three." I announced my intentions to the stupefied watchers. "I won't be waking her up for a while, so you can all eat peacefully."

I noticed the terrified gaze being given to me by my recently-met pink-haired associate.

"You're exactly like her…" He whispered sounding more than slightly terrified as I set Lorelei on the stool next to me. She hung like a wet noodle. The blond decided to sit next to Natsu, probably greatly frightened of me. I was more than slightly miffed.

"Well, miss." I addressed the blonde who was kind enough to carry my companion back. "Would you mind elaborating on the events that caused you to anger my partner so much."

"That Salamander guy." The girl wasn't making eye contact with me, and was doing a horrible job of not showing it. The young woman's poker face was absolutely terrible. "I called him out when I noticed him casting his illegal charm, but then he pointed it at me. When he cast it, your… err… partner blocked it."

"And you immediately knocked her out and escaped towards the town tavern?" I questioned bemusedly. That small joke seemed to snap Natsu out of his funk, and he gave a snort before resuming his meal with added gusto. "You didn't think that something used to get the attention of normal folk wouldn't work on a highly trained mage?"

"That –chomp- was pretty –chew- dumb." My conscious compatriot stated, making the girl huff and take offense. Her arms crossing under rather large… tracts of land "Hey don't be like that, we just met!" That particular fact suddenly set in and my new companion's eyes gleamed at the prospect of possibly introducing himself. "The name's Natsu, I was here to find my dad, but now I'm going to go beat up that guy who's using his name."

"Aye!" The cat atop my head declared, tossing away a can of tin to hit a man focusing on his meal. I was tempted to order one at this point, in fact. This little lunch break was going nowhere I wanted it to. "My name is Happy!"

"Lucy." The girl acknowledged, calming somewhat in the oddity that was the flying blue cat that came from eggs.

There was silence for a few moments, as I pondered what I would order from the tavern keeper if he ever returned. Everything seemed exotic to my eyes, given the fact there was numerous quotations of: actual fire! Real thunder bugs! I didn't actually know what to eat.

There was a slight coughing sound and I looked to my right if Natsu had managed to choke in his exuberant consumption. If lives depended on it, I was best prepared for the occasion to quickly act! I may compromise strategy, or forethought in the long run, but I'm sure my instincts have that all under control.

"Are you going to introduce yourself?" Lucy the blond girl questioned, as I realized that they were both staring at me.

"I'm not that important." I waved off her inquiry and they practically let their faces fall straight onto the oak bar. "What?"

"You just perform all your magic and don't decide to declare yourself?" Natsu stated in shock, as thought that particular thing was a crime or something.

"Well I'm not exactly looking out for attention…" I trailed off, habits once more deciding that what Natsu stated could be counted as praise and having my hand scratch the back of head. It was somewhat close to a nervous tick, the more I pondered on the situation of its occurrence. I essentially found myself doing it when in the attention of a others.

"Wouldn't that make finding your friends easier, aye?" The flight-capable feline atop my head questioned. "If you're famous everyone knows who you are! Just like Fairy Tail, aye!"

"Yup!" Natsu took off his coat and opened up to an open vest that revealed musculature not very far off from my own. The two-footed feline left my head and rested on the right shoulder of my companion, where an inked tattoo of some sort of bird was pressed against. "Fairy Tail!"

"So you know Salamander and you're going to bring him back with you?" Questioned the blonde. To that Natsu grinned and nodded his head, though he seemed to be in a hurry to say something until the girl interrupted him. "He has a ship, and an entire crew of mages and gunmen with him! You can't just head in and-."

"He won't," I placed down the menu, obviously the tavern keeper wasn't coming back from his crying fit anytime soon. "I'll go with him."

"Heck yes!" Natsu cheered, obviously ready to fight. I doubted someone of his strength actually needed help, but the girl looked more than slightly apprehensive about the entire prospect still. "I get to fight with a new friend."

I wanted to point out the fact that I hadn't exactly agreed to any friendships of any sort, but the look on the young man's face was just to ecstatic to deny.

"The two of you will be outnumbered ten-to-one!" The girl seemed to lose her cool, letting her tempter run lose at the thought of our incompetence getting us killed.

"Well then you should come and we can be ten to two in odds!" Natsu proclaimed with a gleaming smile, Happy deciding to fly about his saying 'Aye' again and again.

"That's not how numbers work!" Lucy yelled, and I made sure Lorelei would wake up more comfortably by shoving her into a booth. My instincts told me she wasn't going to be happy when she woke up, but I really could've cared less with the satisfaction the little vengeance gave me.

"I'm not going to wait around all day, waiting for you two." I snapped and Natsu and Happy simultaneously shivered for reasons unknown to myself. "What is it?" They were staring at my hair of all things it seemed.

"Exactly alike." The cat and young man agreed, before following me out.

Pushing that tidbit away for questioning later, I wondered how a fight without Lorelei would go.

At the very least I might just manage to actually fight this time.

…


	3. Chapter 3

The Clock Tower Guild Reunited

…

Disclaimer: I do not make monetary gain from this endeavor.

…

"RIN GET UP!"

I awoke to the sounds of something crashing in the distance, the flittering glow of my ever-present companion circling about in a flurry.

Oh! Why can't I ever get a good night's sleep?!

"Ruby!" I called and my companion answered clasping to my hand. Hollow sensations filled me at our joining, as if there should have been more than a simple pair of boots replacing my normal ones. I didn't see how that was the case, as I was sure other clothing designed to make a person run faster would just be redundant.

I dashed out of the cave, just as the damned ogre that had been following me for weeks slammed a boulder in front of the entrance. The gigantic, ugly brute had sunken features and oily thick skin, wearing mostly furs around its body.

It's one good eye twitched as its sunken nose caught to my scent, and it came charging at me like a tank. Massive trees that stretched to the sky were sent sprawling at its ridiculous assault. The thing hardly had the brains to hunt, let alone do anything besides charge blindly at its prey and hope whatever poor thing died.

Still the dance was an old one, and I had just gotten a few hours of sleep after eating a squirrel.

If there was any occasion I knocked out the other eye of that idiot, this was the time. I breathed deep and cocked back my fist as the massive beast charged at me. The wide steps of the massive beast allowing it to rapidly cross the large distance Ruby had allowed me to gain in seconds.

Still, despite the fact I was most certainly going to die, some part of me sucked me in and I felt only calm. My mind took in the ogre's speed, and I knew that in three steps I should charge in and deliver my blow. I knew that that blow should be a backhand an inch behind the sunken socket that the right eye resided in.

But most of all I knew…

That my arm burned with awesome power!

The outline of my power ran up my arm, unintelligible lines that I didn't recognize. They glowed through the tough cloak that I'd word for the past weeks since my awakening. Some part of me quailed at the thought of what I was about to do, how it was a gross misuse of the power I had.

Then I told it if it had any better ideas, and it shut up _real _quick.

I leapt up and something seized hold of me. Maybe it was the weeks of scavenging nuts and berries, and making water to drink while knowing that it would make me _hungrier. _Maybe it was sleeping on stone and leaves. Maybe it was not having a decent _bath _in gods know how long.

All I knew was the fact that I was very, very pissed.

"Take this!" I found myself yelling, some part of me so ludicrously embarrassed but the rest seeing red. I put all that I felt into the attack, forgetting entirely about merely blinding the beast that made me eat a _squirrel_. "My furious anger!"

My body felt as though it exploded in flames, the same feeling of activating my arm. It felt painful, but far more natural as though it was truly a part of me.

"Rin!" Ruby cried, her voice echoing within my head. "I'm changing! I can feel power again! I can help!"

I felt myself go faster in my leap forward, as though propelled instead of merely using my legs.

"I! Can! Fly!" Ruby declared triumphantly, and I felt something erupt where my boots touched my ankles. "Go Rin, for great justice!"

Speed, power I realized something about those two my fist connected with the ogre's skull.

They were fucking awesome.

I'd seen the troll bash his head into rocks for hours as I hid in a crack within stone. It would never give up, and would only end up knocking itself out after a spectacular head-butt hours in. I barely managed to escape after one time or another.

The skull that wore out rocks collapsed under the strength of my fist and sent the shattered remains into the creature's brain.

It would've have been great if only that happened, but I found myself still in the air after I punched the monster's skull in.

"How long can you keep this up, Ruby?" I tried to hold back the feeling of euphoria building in my system. I was free from running from my opponent! I could actually try and find other people, and maybe even find a way back home!

"Forever!" My companion cheered and flew us higher than the trees that had shielded me from the harsh sun for weeks on end. Somehow, it was far better while flying. It just felt right to fly! "We can go and find the rest of me faster now!"

My mood immediately crashed, so fast that I nearly tripped forward on literal air.

"The rest of you!?" I spluttered, vaguely remembering my thoughts before I sent an ogre's skull into its brain. "What do you mean the rest of you!? Why would I need an entire outfit to make me faster?"

"Of course not! The rest of me does other things!" Ruby stated cheerily, oblivious of the slow migraine that was forming in my skull. "When we're done we can start doing our real mission, the one master gave us!"

"Real mission?" I somehow muster the will to question my companion. "What?"

"You know! The one where we find everyone that came with us! So that we can fight back the darkness!" Fight against the darkness? That didn't sound like a warm safe bed that I can sleep in for a week. "After we find my thirteen pieces, we can find the rest of the guild."

Some part of my mind linked guild to dozens of people working for the same cause and I was finally able to sum up my thoughts on the matter.

"Hell no!" I growled, attempting to move though it was though I was stuck in place. "We're going to a town! I'm going to get a bath! I have pine-needles in my knickers!"

"We can do all that!" Ruby protested while keeping us completely in place. "But we can't ignore the great mission master has set for us!"

"Well I don't care! I'll ignore him all I want! There's no way that-."

There was a loud cracking sound and a massive shock went through my system, starting from my toes and then everywhere else.

I swear I was able to smell something burning, and there was I twitch under my eye that I was convinced wasn't because of the electric shock.

"Ruby, what was that?"

"I wanted to stop you!" Ruby wailing, flying me about in a decidedly frantic ark. "I really did! It happens whenever you don't want to do what you're supposed to!"

"I'm not some sort of dog you can just train-."

BBZZZTTTT!

"…"

"… are you okay Rin?"

"Town." I grunted as I was sure I was tasting colors in my mouth. "I want to be in town for a week before i-."

Bzzt.

"Five days then." I gritted my teeth through the annoyance. I was sure that Ruby was pitying me with the slow flight we were going. "Just five days…"

…

I knew that I held some high expectations for a town for some reason, and given my track record I should've known how that was going to go.

"This place is dump!" Ruby cried, folding around the wings at her sides around herself. "Why did you want to come here?!"

Muddy roads trailed around everywhere, all the buildings were rickety and seemed like they would topple over if someone blew at them. Everyone's clothing looked rough and worn, and their eyes trailed on me with more than enough fear to make me wince.

"Ruby," I whispered to her as she hid in plain sight, pinned to the upper right of my chest. A few men started from an alley way and started following me. They were all armed with a blade strapped to their thighs. "Be quiet."

"Hey!" Something splattered against the back of my head, it was decidedly squishy. Some sort of massive berry or another? My curiosity was drowned by my affront, and I decidedly had to refrain from activating whatever was in my left arm and wrecking a few houses. "We don't like your kind around here! Get out!"

By all means, I would've been in the right to stomp a few faces in.

"Oh! Are you confusing me for someone?" I found myself saying in a voice that stopped the men dead in their tracks. My face contorted into something I was sure was supposed to be reassuring, but the intent I felt myself channeling was akin to asking if someone wanted their lives ended. I pulled back my hood and leveled it at them, and they all took a step back as a group.

I felt as though I was readying myself to bite someone's head off. I had the feeling I did this pretty often for some reason.

"Oh!" A man immediately began to apologize standing stock still. "Your clothes just seemed like some people we knew, ma'am! No disrespect meant at all, ma'am."

"Oh really?" I found myself drawling while cocking my head slightly to the side. A quick few steps and I was looking down at the man about a foot taller than me. I pocked a finger in his chest, my grin widening as he winced. "How about you put your wallet where your mouth is and really apologize?"

"Err, what?" He asked looking to his right and left, his friends had already fled the moment I zeroed in on them though.

"Well I'm a bit tired from my trip, but I can go anywhere with this massive stain on my cloak." The man began to sweat under my focus. "So how about you buy me a room at the inn so I can get my clothes washed and I can rest for the night?"

I was suddenly pushed off.

"I ain't doing anything for ya!" The man screamed and ran as I brushed off mud that stuck to my clothing. He sprinted fast on the muddied ground, scrambling when he fell a scant meter from me.

"So rude!" Ruby stated shrilly, growing a bit larger as she forgot to keep herself small in her anger. "First he throws fruit at you, then he pushes you into the mud! This place is terrible."

"It's not all bad." A far more familiar smirk crept its way into my face as I opened the wallet the man had so quickly forgotten about. "But it's best we get to another town, I don't think they'd appreciate taking money I earned from them."

"Such ferocity!" My companion trilled unlatching herself and floating to my legs, encasing them in red material. Wings sported from where my ankles were, looking normal despite the fact I was sure wings were supposed to go on the back. "It brings me great joy to witness such amazing plans in action!"

"It was nothing!" I swiped underneath my nose as a warm feeling spread from my chest and settled on my cheeks. "Any child could've done the same with those idiots! I'm surprised they put their pants on correctly!"

"It's what they get for threatening someone so much stronger!" Ruby happily declared, weaving the two of us in a corkscrew. "They're lucky we didn't take anything more than one wallet!"

I felt inordinately happy for myself, and decided that maybe I should do things like that more often. The feeling was somewhat akin to having to kill that ogre, expect with much less hiding out in the forest.

I should do it more often.

…

"We don't serve your kind out here!" The innkeeper very nearly slammed the door in my face like all the rest, before I managed to catch it by the fringe.

I swear, I could feel my teeth grinding against themselves. Three towns later, and the same thing keeps happening. We don't want your kind here! Get out!

"Pray tell, ma'am." I could feel blood throbbing handily on my forehead, as though having a background noise of a drum would help my constitution. "I've been rejected for the last three inn's for the same exact reasons." My smile somehow inched its way up my cheeks even further, it was truly beginning to ache. "Would you mind telling me why I'm getting refused a good meal, a shower and a comfortable bed?"

"You're in league with those hooligans terrorizing the entire region!" The old bat snapped, attempting to crush my fingers. I had to withhold my strength to stop me from ripping the door of its hinges. "All those decorations won't fool me! You're one of them Dark Guild members! Once the bounty gets out a _real _ guild will take care of the lot of ya!"

I considered myself a relatively peaceful person, but my blood wanted me to hurt someone and hurt them quite badly.

"Where are they then?" I asked and the woman's attempts to close the door stopped as she gave me a piercing stare. I'd been looked at by wolves with less malicious intent than the innkeeper present.

"…you going to take care of them girly?" The old crone's eyes glittered as I found myself gritting my teeth. "There's a good meal, a nice shower, and comfortable bed if you do…"

The old crone knew the entire time! I very nearly wrung her neck, only stopped by some idiotic prattle in the stupidest voice I'd ever herd. Give me a break red-haired moral compass, I'll only kill her a little bit!

Still my body didn't move to wring the woman's neck, listening more to the damned voice rather than my own. I was all for a bit of chocking at the moment! Even my normally quiet side wanted blood from being denied our rightful place in luxurious room!

"Just tell me where it is you old bat!" Before I manage to shut up that red haired idiot and put my hands around your throat! I'll watch the dust puff out, I swear it!

"Feisty!" The old woman cackled. "Those idiots prancing about with their Re-quip magic will never see you coming!" The door widened open, until she stood in front of me rather than the wood upon a hinge. I crossed my arms over my chest ignoring the pleasant feeling the odd compliment gave me.

I was so damned easily placated! Just a wayward compliment and all my wishes for this woman to die goes away?! What sort of personality was this supposed to be? Compliment me before I choke you because of your stupidity!?

That couldn't be healthy for my blood pressure that was for sure.

"Shut up you old hag." I found myself growling and ignoring the light blush gathering on my cheeks because of the compliments. "Y-you better keep that promise if you want me going after these idiots!"

"Oh I will!" The wizened innkeeper searcher the contents of her apron, her beak-like nose almost infringing upon the wicked grin splitting her wrinkled face. She produced a map from the contents of her apron, it was stained with pungent spices and made my mouth drool. Soon… "I'll even put down the B-rank bounty we've all scrounged up for you!"

Money, a place to stay, what more could a girl want?

Suddenly Ruby flashed brightly, placed slightly over my crossed arms. The light made to old lady screech and slam the door in my face. I managed to snatch the paper before it fell to the ground and became worthless. The innkeeper was muttering behind the door, something about getting no respect at all.

I felt more than slightly vindicated and much, much calmer with the knowledge someone was angry as myself. That particular oddity allowing me to pay attention to my shining companion.

"Something the matter Ruby?' I questioned as I held up the map. Almost immediately, right on the 'X' inscribed on the map, Ruby shot a beam of light onto the parchment. "What the-."

"I knew master would make finding the rest of me easily! This is probably the same reason why the only he left to us is flight! We can practically get to any piece of me with a map in hand!"

I would have squealed like a little girl if I was anything less than the calm and composed individual that I was. At last! A literal ray of hope shining upon a heavily spiced map!

"All we need to do is buy a map and shine you on it!" I declared happily, the sudden revelation doing amazing things towards lifting my flagging spirits. I rushed through the town, remembering the only shop inside it., stuffing the small map I had into my pocket.

There it was, free to look at and brandished proudly right in the store's front window. I practically ripped Ruby off her perch as she began to shine brightly.

The short feeling of elation withered away and died as I looked at all the spots. I knew that the closest spot was where I practically was, since the 'X' on the map was no more than a short walk into the forest from the town boundaries.

But then the next one was in the neighboring country, then the next one was in the country after that one's neighbor, then each one got further and further away from where I was and each other.

It was as if some malevolent bastard had decided to place me on a treasure hunt across an entire damned continent!

Then, as if my day wasn't bad enough, the overcast that had been slowly developing as the sun began to set decided it wanted to skip the middle man and just start raining.

"Fuuu-."

…

AN: Sorry for the short chapter, but I'm pretty stressed.


	4. Chapter 4

The Clock Tower Guild: Re-United.

…

Disclaimer: No monetary gain is made from this.

…

"We need a plan, Natsu!" Lucy whispered as we neared the vessel that supposedly had the man using illegal charms on women. "We can't just walk in there and start beating people up!"

"But plans are boring!" Natsu protested, Happy whirling about declaring 'aye' above his head. "See! Happy agrees with me!"

"Aye!" The blue, winged cat decided to fly about Lucy, possibly to vex her even further. "Aye!"

"Then what about you, Shirou?" The blonde crossed her arms underneath her bosom, and I had to blink repeatedly as my mind told me to think upon my words carefully. I had the most intense feeling that this situation was common in my life, and I would have been better off without it. "You can see that we need a plan, right?"

Well, maybe it was just time to admit the truth on the matter.

"What's a plan?" I inquired curiously, scratching my nose as I felt my cheeks redden. My two companions somehow tripped while standing still, and clutched their heads as they gaped at my in surprise. "Err… Sorry?"

"Well, obviously I need to enlighten you on this matter-." Lucy began, and I listened with interest. If she argued for something so much, I had a feeling that it was of utmost importance.

"A plan is summarized in three steps!" Natsu declared passionately, drowning out the blonde's explanation. "You run at the enemy! You beat them up, and then you tell them not to do it again!"

"I see." I nodded at the information, immensely grateful for receiving it. "But if that's the case why don't you like it, Natsu?"

"Because they add things onto the plan!" Natsu crossed his own arms, developing a pout. "I'm fine with the first three, but then they put things on like: be quiet, don't blow things up, don't light that on fire… It gets boring."

"So plans beyond the simplest form limit strategic avenues." I summarized, and Natsu looked onto me as if I had just declared my undying love for gravel. "…Big plans make it harder to fight."

"Yeah!" The pinkish-haired boy nodded enthusiastically at my apt summarization. I couldn't help but smile lightly at my own deduction. His enthusiasm was contagious to say the least. "That's right! Plans aren't fun!"

"Or effective." I agree with my new ally. I couldn't see the enjoyment of fighting, but it wasn't my place to question how others decided to approach combat. Natsu could very well be having the time of his life on the battlefield.

"THAT'S NOT A PLAN AT ALL!" Lucy screeched at the absolute top her lungs. Both Natsu and myself had to cover our ears to prevent the onslaught from robbing us of our hearing. "A plan is-."

"Oi!" A man carrying a crate to the ship took notice of us. "What do you lot think you're doing?"

"Remember the plan!" Natsu declared as he took off in a run. The stocky man dropped his box and withdrew the pistol strapped against his chest.

Natsu crossed the distance in a second, and punched the man right into the waters of the dock.

"The plan!" I agreed with my ally and joined him. I realized that in his enthusiasm, my companion forgot to attend to the third part of the plan. I rushed over to the edge of the dock, where the man was thrashing about. "Don't let your boss use illegal charms against ladies!"

"Good job, Shirou!" My pink haired companion was upon the rampart that led up to the ship. He shot me a thumbs up, which I returned from my crouch at the dock's edge.

"Th-this… what is this?" Lucy clutched her head as she babbled. "I don't even.."

"It's a plan." I clarified with a succinct dip of my chin, I reached out for her ahnd and she took it with confusion. "Let's go help Natsu!"

"The bridge to the boat is over there-." Lucy was about to gesture but I yanked her over. I caught her in my arms as she stumbled into me. "What are you doin-."

I leapt up, my legs receiving energy as I willed them to go higher up than they actually can. The sensation of slight burning entered my mind, but I was more than able to accept the pain. The wind against my face, and the elation of weightlessness at the apex of my jump more than made up for the slight pain.

"EEEEEEYYYAAAAHHHHHHHHh!" My passenger, however, didn't seem nearly as pleased by the feeling as I was! "Oh gods we're going to die! We're going to die! I've barely gotten out my house for a month and I'm going to die!"

I would have been slightly miffed at her declaration, if not for the fact that she didn't actually know what I was able to do. I wouldn't have done what I did if there was even the slightest risk of an ally getting harmed, or an innocent.

I was going to just land on the roof of this ship and-.

Fail?

The wood broke underneath my empowered limbs, and I swiftly moved so that Lucy was shielded by my body completely. The wood was ridiculously soft and light, but that only served to remind me this was a vessel that treaded on water. The boat would most assuredly not be built in mind for a pair of people landing upon its roofing.

So I crashed into the ship's roof. Right into the middle of an entire group of guys.

"What the-." The most ostentatiously dressed man present declared, taking a step back. There were two women, unconscious at his feet.

Lucy seemed to take initiative and brandished a key with horns upon its body.

A Minotaur appeared, a white spotted with black bull-man, brandishing a very large axe.

Heavy too, if the boat's sudden contact with the wharf's floor was any indication.

"Taurus." The cow seemed ready to say something until he caught sight of the two unconscious and bound ladies at the man's feet. An angry breath of steam came from it's nostrils. "_Get Them."_

"MOOOOOOOO!" The summoned familiar swumng about its massive axe, and a massive gout of flame opened the door to the large room. Natsu burst in, a wide grin on his face as he ground his knuckles together.

"I knew you'd see my plan!" The pink haired boy declared happily as he charged in, fists flying at the various stunned men within the hold. "Good job, Lucy!"

"Don't act like you planned this!"

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a few of the men draw swords from nowhere. None were special, just forged steel, most not being held for more than minutes at a time.

They deserved better.

I threw my blonde compatriot up, and Happy snatched her up. His small, blue cat was most assuredly much stronger than his body suggested.

The Minotaur took pause when he noticed the sword-wielding fools. His angered charge settling down as he hefted his massive axe. No matter how much strength a person placed behind their axe, a sword will always be faster. A few of the sword-users, as they were most certainly not worthy of the title swordsmen, may be defeated in a single stroke. The rest of the group, however, will be able to attack before he recovered.

I stood at waist-level with the large familiar, but he noticed when I tapped him on the back.

"Go keep your master safe." I jabbed a thumb over at the other group of men, those wielding paltry pistols that didn't even break the monster's hide. "I got this."

I received a snort in response and the monster turned to mind his mistress.

My countenance of my foes brightened considerably, some even began to sport grins as they twisted their weapons in their hands.

"You think you're some sort of, big shot?" One of the men leered, the stench of his breathe wafting from the short distance between me and the group. "We'll be done of you before the minute is over!"

I had answer to that.

I took notice of each weapon they had and the way they held each weapon. The first five used their thin-blades to puncture flesh and inner organs. Three worked with curved blades held their legs farther apart, so their strong swings wouldn't leave them off balance. The last two held their swords slightly forward in a two-handed grip.

I held out my hand as they began to creep forward. They were watching each other more than me until my movement. They didn't want to be the first to assault me.

The blade was thin, having no edge. It was a needle, the hilt made from shaped tin and the handle no more than a larger part of the blade wrapped in horse leather. The man who wielded it fought against his armored foes wearing only the clothes of a farmer and a mask.

I felt compelled by the blade, and I drew a circle upon the wood.

The words of a man long dead passed through my lips. The man who used his intelligence to calculate the ability of the pauper's weapon in my hand, and revolutionize warfare.

"You will not pass this circle." I stood stock straight, my needle-like blade pointed at the ground, one hand behind my back. Experience flowed through me, and I knew that line was no boast.

They charged, in a fashion that they could only hope was as one.

The most vulnerable point of a man were his joints, and those were sorely ever covered by muscle.

The man who first met me wielded a thin blade, but had an actual edge unlike my own. Despite seeming to be smaller, my blade was heavier. The moment his foot stepped into the circle, I struck out. I brought the blade up, and snapped my wrist. The point of the blade hit the man's wrist and buried itself deep, making the man drop his blade.

Two came near simultaneously, I withdrew the needle from where it threaded and held it in level with my chest. Elegance in simplicity, I used the elevation of my blade to make tip pass through their elbows in two strikes. The bones were separated, and ligaments ripped apart, their blades fell flat.

The first man dropped in pain, as five entered my boundary. The situation was no longer within the means of normal men, no matter how much skill was put into play.

But I was no normal man.

My body burned with power. The last of them wielding rapiers, received a strikes against their wrists by the thick metal, breaking the bones. Both of the ones using curved swords held their swords above their heads, my strikes to their shoulders nearly made them drop the heavy blades upon themselves. A man using a broadsword received a slice across his forearms by a single swing of the blade's tip.

The first pair of men collapsed, and the last two paused in their charge against me.

One looked afraid, scared beyond his wits as he looked upon his comrades. Their injuries were easily staunched by their hands alone, but dying from blood loss was still probable should their injuries be left untended.

"Fuck this!" The man with a curved blade reached into his shirt and produced a gun. Displaying startling speed, he shot it in a single movement.

I moved faster.

I vacated my circle in a small leap, my right foot slammed against the wooden flooring and propelled my forward. The needle-blade entered the barrel, and vacated through the back, scratching the man's chin.

The powder then exploded, singing the man's face and knocking him out.

The last one dropped his blade as I withdrew my own from its impromptu scabbard, the tiny lead ball situated at the tip.

I think I handled that fairly well.

"Mistress!" I heard a sudden cry gaining my attention from the prostrated form of the group that attacked me. The reversed-edge Lotus blade appeared over the prostate man, dealing a strike against my last opponent and knocking him out cold. Handy to say the least and I dissipated the needle blade to take stock of the situation.

The best dressed man in the group was holding a pistol against Lucy's head, his other arm holding him in front of her as she struggled in his grip.

"Let her go you bastard!" Natsu growled out, his entire form writhing in flame. The minotaur looked stricken. Judging from the gash on the man's head, he had most probably been decided as unconscious, not biding his time for the opportunity to grab a hostage.

I should have waited and played it out, but my body was having none of that, and neither was I truly. I didn't know what I was going to do, but I knew for a fact that I wasn't going to let Lucy get hurt.

So instead of staying still and asking for what the man wanted, I charged him with all my might.

My body burned and the wooden flooring became splinters underneath my feet. I felt something pushing me back as my legs strained behind me. It was as though a wall was in front of me, and slowing me down. Slowing me down just enough for the man's finger to press the trigger in shock.

The hammer hit the gun just as I was in front of the man, and the metal ball was about to enter Lucy's skull.

Not. Going. To. Happen.

The muscles in my arms strained against the wall that limited me, but I broke past it with a muted 'pop'. My arm felt as though razor-sharp blades went scored it lengthwise past the invisible barrier. Whips of displaced air ran lengthwise down my coat sleeve, the pain was staggering.

But my hand was right in front of the barrel, just as the ball exited it.

I expected the ball to pierce my flesh, and my bones to stop the shot from harming my companion.

The ball _exploded _against my hand, turning to dust as though it had hit a solid wall. My hand felt as though it had been through a violent altercation with a door, but not as though a propelled piece of metal just hit it.

Most of the shrapnel that was sent towards me just bounced off my skin, but that was not the case of the man wielding the gun. The bits of the lead ball embedded his fist, and his face. The man screamed as the tiny studs punctured and scored his skin.

I grasped the weapon and it bent underneath the grip of my right arm. I felt blood trailing down in my sleeves, and the ache was nearly unbearable. I had pushed past the limits of my body, but I didn't find anything wrong about it. My pains came from saving a life, nothing wrong could come from that.

My companions looked at me in shock.

Oh yeah, the plan.

"Don't do that again." I told the man clawing metal out of his face.

…

"I did not agree to this." Lorelei crossed her arms over her coat and _pouted._ Some part of me wanted to say that the expression was unfair, but another part stated that I must have done something correctly if she was bringing out the big guns. In all honesty, I didn't understand how my mind came up with either conclusion, so I merely let her talk her piece. "There is no point in joining a guild when we're already in one."

I watched the station for a bit, tuning out the gripes of my companion as she vented. My mind told me to nod at every other moment, just so that she thought I was listening. It appeared to be working, so I didn't complain as I silently watched for our companions to arrive.

I gathered sight of Lucy dragging a despondent Natsu to the rail line, followed by Happy. The blue, winged cat carried a paper bag with him. It was probably food, as I had been told the trip to Magnolia was going to take at least four hours.

I opened the window to the room we were in.

"Hey!" I called to gain their attention. Happy homed in immediately, flying through the window and dropping the bag on my lap. The cat took to the racks above with gusto, setting himself down with a lazy sigh. "Get over here already! The train leaves in a minute!"

"Natsu has motion sickness!" Lucy growled as she pulled the now-struggling man. "He doesn't want to come!"

"I'll just run there!" Natsu protested as the girl dragged him by the hem of his black vests. "I'll meet you there tomorrow!"

"As if Fairy Tail would believe I'm good enough for them without someone supporting me!" Lucy pulled the man forward.

"That's kind of mean." I hesitatingly mused aloud, much to the amusement of my compatriot. "I'm pretty sure Natsu doesn't have a problem with telling them you're great anytime."

"Yeah!" Natsu eagerly clambered onto the lifeline. "You don't need to hurry or anything! I'll tell them you're a great mage any day of the week! Everyone will love you anyways!"

The blonde's face lit up a brilliant red in response to the compliments. Natsu straightened his stance and gave the girl a huge grin.

"Any gal who risked themselves to save other people is welcome to Fairy Tail." The Pink-haired boy declared with a large smile. "You don't need me to get accepted into Fairy Tail!"

"H-heh." The blonde scratched the back of her head, focusing intensely upon her shoes. "I guess that I'm just a little nervous…"

"A little?" My companion snarked, and I leveled a glare at her. She snorted and rolled her eyes at my attempt to express my opinion on her statement. "Feh."

I let myself out of the train via the opened window, Natsu took immediate notice.

"What are you doing?" The pink haired boy inquired, settling his massive backpack on his shoulders. I could only hazard to what was within, but I hadn't heard a single clattering of metal within its confines

"You have problems with traveling on trains?" I inquired and the pink haired boy rubbed the back of his head, something akin to embarrassment lighting up on his features.

"Eh heh," The young man gave a nervous chuckle. "On anything moving really, my stomach just can't handle it-."

"Well what if you're asleep?" I inquired thoughtfully.

"Well it really hard to sleep…"

"No worries, I got this." I gave him a smile and he took a step back as I summoned the Lotus blade.

"Shirou-."

I struck, his reflexes were honed well enough that he had the time to lean to the side of my downward slash. Thankfully, the man who first used the blade was well accustomed to such skilled opponents, and the blade willed my hands to move it mid-swing into one towards the side.

Natsu crumpled like a sack of potatoes, drool leaking out of his mouth as his eyes became unfocused.

"Worked out great!" I informed Lucy as I picked Natsu up and threw him over my shoulder. I already had my ticket stub to enter the train, and his was in his pocket. "Looks like our rooms are right next to each other too! Want to stay with us, Lucy?"

Lucy seemed to be shivering, and her skin was unusually pale for some odd reason. The blade in my hands faded as there was no longer use for it, and I placed a hand against her forehead.

"You alright?" I asked, "You look pretty sick…"

"I'm fine!" Lucy backed into the train, holding out her hands and shaking them furiously. I watched the display with a measure of trepidation. Maybe she had some sort of sickness that made her frantic? "No need to knock me out or anything! I'll go ahead and get inside!"

Those words hanging in the air, the blonde hurried into the train. The attendant looked reasonably flustered as I handed her Natsu's ticket and showed my own stub. I had the feeling that Lucy wasn't feeling as well as she let on. Being held up with a gun against one's head was a situation that people did not recover from easily.

It must have been quite traumatizing to see.

I was surprised to find Lucy speaking candidly with Lorelei once I arrived with Natsu in tow.

Truth be told, speaking candidly with Lorelei meant that she gave nods when she thought appropriate. Lorelei accomplished this while making it seem she was ignoring you.

I had a feeling my own methods of dealing with her gripes, stemmed from her own actions. I couldn't help but feel there was a semblance of irony in the situation. Though I didn't know whether to be worried or not about the fact that she was influencing me.

"…and then he caught the bullet with his bare hands!" My blonde companion shook her head in exasperation. Judging from the statement she just uttered, I had very little doubt they were talking about me. Since Lorelei's eyes promised pain and suffering once I entered, I had even less of an inclination that the topic wasn't on myself. "And now he's knocked out Natsu just so that he can join us on the train!"

"Are you telling on me?!" I felt slightly betrayed as I set myself down on the bench opposite. I made sure to law Natsu sideways so that he didn't choke on his on spittle. I was in quite an odd problem until I laid his head on my lap, his spittle dripping onto the floor. "That's not very nice, Lucy."

"People don't just knock people out!" Lucy's hands ruffled through her tied-back hair in a frenzy. The result made her seem very disheveled to say the very least. I truly worried for her mental health after the hostage situation that she had the misfortune of being a victim to. "You're just plain crazy!"

That declaration seemed to take everything out of the blonde, and she sank into the couch languidly.

"…Ok." I decided that it wasn't the best time to question her views on people. Lucy was obviously stressed and maybe even downright manic. "…Errr… So you're joining Natsu's guild?"

A change of topic, yeah that was a good choice.

"Yeah…" The blonde seemed to trail off a second after her affirmation. "I guess you could say that I'm excited…"

I sensed a negative…

"But…" I inquired and the blonde gave a hefty sigh.

"I'm not exactly strong." Lucy seemed pained to admit it, and I leveled a glare at Lorelei before she could comment. The glare I received could have peeled paint, but I didn't want to stress Lucy in further. "All my powers are tied to my familiars, and I can't even summon them all at the same time."

"I'm guessing that you're not nearly as powerful as they are."

"Not at all." Lucy shook her head with a deprecatory smile. I hazarded that she didn't like that particular fact. "My familiars can easily just leave if they wished, its only our contracts that can get them to help me."

"What sort of contract is it?" Lorelei didn't question, she interrogated. The tone was businesslike and almost akin to the crack of a whip. Despite the lack of volume, it dominated the entire conversation.

Very rude to say the least.

"Well when you have the keys." Lucy reached to her side and produced a ring of keys, there were four or five upon it. Some looked relatively worn, but one looked varnished and new. "You're allowed to summon the spirits whenever you wish, so long as you're a summoning mage that is."

"A normal mage can't just take one of those keys and summon the familiars themselves?" Lorelei's tone could have been a touch nicer, but I knew better than to actually ask her to do so. There was a certain look in her eyes that made me wary of what she was planning on doing. My compatriot didn't take 'no' for an answer.

"Well Celestial Mages are the only ones who can actually summon Celestial Spirits." Lucy scratched the back of her head, one eyes closing as she was taken by deep thought. "Our magic is only for Celestial Summoning, and not really much else besides some utility spells. Celestial Mages are really born into their magic, not like everyone else…"

"I see." Lorelei concluded her inquisition with a dip of her chin. I had no doubt she had crossed off summoning as a magic that she would endeavor to master… or maybe she just put it off for later. I didn't ponder too far into her thought process in the off chance that she may find it irritating if I questioned her. "That's too bad."

That statement ended her interest in the conversation without another word, she pulled up her hood and leaned against the wall.

"So why are you so worried about Natsu's guild not accepting you?" I inquired after it apparent that my companion no longer held any vested interest in the conversation. Someday, that aloofness of hers was going to get her in some odd situations with people like herself. I could only hope that I would not be present should that ever come to pass. "Your magic sounds as though it's pretty rare, there is surely not any reason for them to object to you."

"Maybe any other guild that would be the case." The tad-underdressed young woman admitted, heaving a slight sigh as she leaned on her hand. Her elbow rested upon the window, and her tied back golden locks began to fly as the train gathered speed. "But Fairy Tail is the very best guild there is in Fiore."

"Well if that's the case, you've most certainly impressed a member of that group already." I gestured to the unconscious male drooling onto the floor with a slight smile. I was sure that he would thank me later. If the abhorrence he had shown was but a small fraction of his hatred for moving vehicles, he would most certainly be grateful for my actions. "I'm quite sure that any group that would have Natsu wouldn't be as terrifying as you might imagine."

"I guess…" The blonde gave a sigh, leaving her position and placing her hands against the leather seats of the carriage. Some part of me felt squeamish at the thought of how many cows went into furnishing the entirety of the train, but I didn't voice it given most of my actions towards most of the wild animals I'd encountered in the world. "I'm really just worried about The Fairy Queen really."

"Queen?" Barthomeloi's tone was like a whip, tearing through the air with an oppressive crack. Had the conversation been glass, her tone would have been a rock that smashed it to pieces. "That's quite the title to wear…"

"W-well she's an S-class mage." Lucy found herself stammering under the full brunt of Lorelei's attention. I'd feel sorry for her if not for the fact she was providing me ample time to distract my companion. Buy me time Lucy! Stammer as though you had never stammered before! "Y-you know what they do right?"

"Enlighten me." The crisp tone she used may have been thought to be general intrigue by some, but it was not the case for her. The tone was the calm before the storm. The literal storm as well, the last she'd used that tone was against an inn-keeper that refused to let us in, due to our mud-tracks. My powerful partner had unleashed nothing short of category three winds upon the inn and left nothing intact.

I'd paid for the damages too, that made quite the blow upon our available currency. The benefits of having so many dangerous animals and lacking in hunters were the only reasons why we weren't on the run from the security of this country. I'd suspected that she may not have been pleased with the prospect of me doing something like cleaning up after her messes, so I didn't say a word about it.

I felt like a janitor sometimes, and a large part of me seemed okay with that. Cleaning up after the messes of extremely powerful beings without their knowledge was a lot better than being held against the wall by one of said beings.

As Lucy began to extrapolate on her statements, I looked onto the verdant greens of the countryside passing by and couldn't help but feel tired.

Traveling from place to place, looking for home, that had been my life since I had awoken in that clearing. I really knew nothing else but that life, and as much as Lorelei wanted to argue that she wanted to continue, my companion was getting tired of it as well. The two of us were alone in the strange world, held together by our clothing and the marks upon our skin.

Meeting Natsu had been refreshing, and the situation I'd encountered was far more likable than the hunts Lorelei and I had worked upon. I felt refreshed after that simple act of helping others, and I could only hope that Lorelei would feel the same.

The two of us, no matter how much Lorelei insisted, couldn't stay our course forever. We were getting worn down, and every effort we made to look up a rumor just felt like another devastating failure after another. Joining a guild, getting allies, widening the search, those were far better goals than just staying alone.

I can only hope that Natsu's guild can help us find the rest of my own, and maybe find our home in the process.


End file.
